Page 4 - 預言系列

Religion and education 宗教與教育
二者相容抑相斥？
Are They Compatible with or
Exclusive of One Another?

Some will answer the above question in the 對於這個問題，有些人的回答是肯定的，
positive, and some in the negative. The 有些人則是否定的。這個問題，並不是一
question is not a new one and has been 個新的問題，而是一個在很多國家中已經
debated over a period of many years and in 爭論了很久的一個問題。我們不防先研究
many countries. Let us first take a look at 一下這個問題的發展情形，特別是在中國
the history of it, especially as seen in old 和美國的發展經過。
China and in the United States.

In old China religious and ethical concepts 在中國古代，宗教與倫理不但與教育彼此
were not only related to learning but were 悠關，而實乃二而為一的。易經諸篇，文
practically one and the same. The writings 王周公、伏羲氏等都有這種高超的見解。
of the great Wen Wang in what is known as 至於堯、舜、禹三代，一神教思想與倫理
The Book of Changes (the Yi Ching) are 道德，均極興盛，這種趨勢一直到孔子、
replete and Fu His. Then as in the day of 孟子、荀子，未嘗稍廣。
the three great emperors, Yao and Shuen and
Yu, the monotheistic principle was
predominant and the ethics that proceed
therefrom, and continued on down to include
the days of Confucius, Mencius and Hsun
Tz.

The Sage Confucius greatly revered the 孔子敬祖，並注釋易經。他對易經的一神
ancients and even wrote a commentary on 思想，極為推崇，認為「知」與「行」，皆
The Book of Changes. He held strongly 本乎「天」。「子不語怪力亂神」，可知孔子
the monotheism of that great work and that 對於多神教思想，毫無沾染。
wisdom and power reside in Heaven. He
seems to have been without any tincture of
the polytheism and idolatrous practices
which had already invaded China from
India.

The body of teaching of the great Sage 孔子的教訓，構成了中國博大的政治哲
Confucius constitutes a splendid philosophy 學，並且對於庶民、士大夫、以及君臣的
of government and dials in detail with the 關係，有極詳盡的闡明。這種政治哲學，
inter-relation of the people to the official and 與中國的倫理道德，有着極密切的關係。
the official to the prince. It is so 嚴格說來，中國的倫理道德雖不是宗教，
immovably rooted into and indissolubly 但亦可視之為一種宗教體系。
intertwined with moral and ethical principles
that (though not a religion in the stricter
sense) it has come to be classified as a
religious system.

The sage gathered around him students and 孔子常以身教教人，設杏壇以課諸弟子。

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